Peters Lake
Howard County, Missouri107 acresView mapDirections
Missouri DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Peters Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Eutrophic
- 35 ft max depth
- Public access
Peters Lake in Howard County, Missouri has water-quality measurements published by Missouri DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 54 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 19.4 µg/L. Surface area: 107 acres.
Peters Lake is a 107-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Howard County, Missouri with an estimated average depth of about 35 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 2 public boat landings. Compared to the 1 other monitored lakes in Howard County, Peters Lake ranks #1 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Missouri DNR, last sampled 2023-08-15. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Peters Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch2 documented ramps
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyAlgae risk
Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Peters Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Peters Lake
These are the measurements Missouri DNR publishes for Peters Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Very murky, less than 2.1 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 54 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 19.4 µg/L. TSI 63.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 2.1ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 54µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 19.4µg/L | Fair GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 63 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Peters Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Peters Lake typically sits around 82°F at the surface in August. Summer average is about 82°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 83°F) and coldest in May (about 72°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (72°F) to its warmest (83°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 16 field readings (2016–2023) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Peters Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~35 ft est.
Surface area
107 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by Missouri DNR
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Missouri has not published bathymetry for Peters Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
3 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
1.8 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
748 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS). Mean depth here is modelled, not surveyed — HydroLAKES v1.0 estimates lake depth from surrounding terrain rather than from soundings. Treat it as an approximation, and prefer a state bathymetric survey where one exists.
Recreation & Access
- Peters Lake (Fayette)Public
- D. C. Rogers Lake (Fayette Lake) (West)Public
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Peters Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near Peters Lake
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Planning a trip? Cabins and lodging at Peters Lake → · more Missouri lake trips
Follow Peters Lake’s readings
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Fishing Peters Lake
Water quality readings over time
3 seasons of samples on record (2021–2023). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Improving3 years
Phosphorus
Improving-11.55 µg/L/yr3 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-8.15 µg/L/yr3 years
Reservoir Info (USACE NID)
Peters Lake is a man-made reservoir impounded by the Fayette New City Lake Dam (completed 1961), built primarily for recreation on the TR-ADAMS FORK; earth-type dam, 33 ft tall.
- Surface area
- 107 ac
- Normal storage
- 1,059 ac-ft
- Max storage
- 1,889 ac-ft
- Drainage area
- 895 sq mi
- Hazard class
- High
- Owner
- CITY OF FAYETTE
All listed purposes: Recreation;Water Supply.
Source: USACE National Inventory of Dams, NID ID MO10130 · Operator website · Matched by proximity (0.1 km)
Nearby Lakes in Howard County
Frequently asked questions about Peters Lake
Where is Peters Lake?
- Peters Lake is a lake in Howard County, Missouri. Its water-quality measurements are published by Missouri DNR and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Peters Lake?
- Peters Lake in Howard County, Missouri has water-quality measurements published by Missouri DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 54 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 19.4 µg/L. Surface area: 107 acres.
Is Peters Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Peters Lake?
- Peters Lake typically sits around 82°F at the surface in August, from 16 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2016–2023). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Peters Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Peters Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 35 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate. The lake covers 107 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Peters Lake?
- Peters Lake has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Peters Lake (Fayette), D. C. Rogers Lake (Fayette Lake) (West). Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Peters Lake?
- Peters Lake has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Missouri's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Peters Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
57 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2021–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Univ. of Missouri, Columbia
UMC57 samples · 2021–2023
Analytical methods
- Depth, Secchi disk in meters
- 4500 P E ~ Phosphorus in Water by Colorimetry- Ascorbic Acid Method
- 445.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll and Pheophytin in Algae by Fluorescence
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.
Other records on this page
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory